Two Lovebirds Share Disney With Each Other!!

[eliz72586]

Bryan and Elizabeth’s Trip Report for 1/3-1/9/2008 @ Walt Disney World Resort!!

Hi all and thanks for clicking! I am going to admit that I am a rookie when it comes to this sort of thing, so please bear with all the technical disturbances that come with putting photos up, etc…I hope you enjoy my TR, and thanks for coming along for the ride!

First, let me introduce myself. My name is Elizabeth, I am 21 years old and I live in Boston, MA. I am originally from NH, and came down to attend nursing school! I am an avid scrapbooker, love the gym, shopping, movies and of course, Disney World! I am a part time nanny as well.

My boyfriends name is Bryan, he is 23, and works at Gillette (you know, they make the razors you use?!). He works in the graphic art department doing something with computers…I couldn’t tell you exactly, but that’s technology!

Bryan and I met in November of 2006 on Match.com…yes the world of internet dating! Quite interesting, sometimes creepy, but it all worked out, as you can see! I wasn’t in to dating the old fashioned way, by picking someone up at a bar, so I can say confidently- I met him online!

We both hit it off, and moved in with each other last spring. In March of ’07, we went to Cancun, Mexico on a whim! It was an adventure. Neither of us are crazy party animal types, and the hotel we chose was hosting MTV’s spring break…OH NO!!! It was very, very annoying to hear the college kids screaming 24/7, but somehow we were given a room removed from the madness. It was an adventure, and a cool place to visit, however, I cannot say I will be going back anytime soon! About 3 months after Cancun, I got the vacation planning itch again (you know…oh I am sad its over, I need to satisfy the hunger by figuring out a new adventure!). Bryan and I are part time in college and also work, so money isn’t something we can easily throw around…We wanted to do trip that was both economically friendly and would satisfy our need for a break from New England. Should we go on a cruise? Can we go to Disney World??? We were able to work it out so that we could frugally book a trip to the World.

…A little side story. Bryan had been to WDW a few times as a kid. I had never been when I was younger. My father got remarried a few years before I met Bryan, and decided to take my brother and I along on his “honeymoon.” Ok…I am not going to complain. They booked a cruise and a “pit stop” in Disney World. We arrived from the cruise at WDW in the early afternoon-but my dad would only buy one day tickets…so the next day, we saw Animal Kingdom, MGM, and MK in one day. Honestly, I cannot remember very much of it. I was thankful I got to go, because I dreamt of it my whole childhood, but it was such a tease! Anyway, by planning this trip, I was determined to make up for it!!

So, being new to the whole Disney World adventure, and on a budget, we took our chances and found a package through Travelocity. For 1900, we got airfare, hotel, and park tickets. We would be staying at the Lake Buena Vista Best Western in DTD (where I stayed w/ dad), and would have 5 day park-hopper tickets. Ok…I know it isn’t the full, stay-in-the-park experience, but I was so excited! During the summer, Bryan and I were moving, so the trip was pushed to the rear of our brains because we had so much going on. We both were very busy with school and work last fall, so again, not much time to plan…and being newbies, we didn’t realize that we needed to plan. The holidays came, and the excitement that came with them sort of made us not realize that we had a vacation coming up. We vowed to spend money on each other only for our stockings so that we could have some for WDW. Uh-oh. After Christmas I was in Borders and decided to pick out a few books…you know Frommer’s, Birnbaum, etc… About seven days before we were scheduled to go, I was looking at the Dis…and found something about Victoria and Albert’s. Bryan and I are extreme foodies, and are very snotty when it comes to food. I told him about this supposedly great restaurant, and we decided that we would treat ourselves to that the last night. I called, and the kind gentleman on the phone set up our reservation, and told me that it is important to reserve a table for all meals, because they fill up fast, and there is usually no room for walk-ups. “Oh gosh,” I thought, “What are we going to do? Surely the restaurants are all booked by now…”

*Below are some pictures of Bryan and I from Mexico.

 

[Momof2princess]

Great start to your TR. Can't wait to hear all the details.

 

[byoung]

Nice report.

 

[eliz72586]

...So not sure how to do the TR indexing thing, so until I figure it out, here is ch2!
So the Saturday morning before we left, Bryan and I scrambled to make ressies for most of our meals.

We Made out pretty well with ADR’s…Obviously I already mentioned Victoria and Albert’s. We made that for our last night at WDW, so that we could really go out with a bang (on our wallets and mouths!). We also managed to get 1900 Park Fare our first morning in the world, as well as the Crystal Palace for Dinner our first night…Below is the outline of where we ate…
1/3-Arrived 5pm, ate Dinner @ Fulton’s Crab House.
1/4- Magic Kingdom Day: Breakfast-1900 Park Fare, Lunch- Whatever… Dinner- Crystal Palace
1/5-Epcot! Breakfast- A cart near Ellen’s Energy Adventure- had AWESOME cinnamon buns and really good coffee (more about the coffee later). Lunch- Oktoberfest in Germany, Dinner- Flying Fish Café @ The Boardwalk.
1/6- Breakfast- Disgusting Best Western Buffet…Ewwwie! Lunch- Soft Pretzels, Popcorn Dinner- Rose and Crown
1/7- Breakfast- GF Café, Lunch- Turkey Legs/Soft Pretzels/Dole Whips, Dinner- Raglan Road
1/8- Breakfast- Coffee Shop @ MGM...I think it was called the "Writer's Block?", Lunch- Soft Pretzel, I believe!, Dinner- Victoria and Albert’s

So ADR’s were pretty successful I would say, especially for last minute planning.

As we were going to bed on Saturday night, I noticed that our rabbit was acting very VERY strange. He must not have been feeling well, I thought…Ohhh No! I told myself to let him sleep on it, but when I got up on Sunday morning, poor Buttercup was definitely worse. He had a classic case of what is called “Head Tilt.” Basically, he could not stand up on his own, could not hop on his own, was not eating, and kept falling over. Buttercup was eight years old and Bryan and I had adopted him 3 months ago from a friend of the family. We loved that rabbit! Luckily, we live less than a mile from one of this counties BEST veterinary hospitals, so I told Bryan to dial them up ASAP. They told us in so many words that we needed to come in ASAP. We decided we should take him and Bryan ran to get the car.

I found a cardboard box, threw a soft blanket in, and prayed to God for the best. Bryan drove, I carried Buttercup. I could not look at the poor bunny, as every time I saw him freaking out, and tumbling over, it tore me to shreds. We went into the vet, put our name in and handed our scared little bunny over to a vet. Soon enough, he came out and brought us in to a consultation room. He told us that he didn’t know what was wrong, but thought it was neurological, and explained that we could have him undergo MRI, CT, XRays, and all kinds of tests, and still may not know what is up.

…Now, before I continue, I must remind you of my college student stature. I am in no way able to financially support an ailing rabbit, and I am in no way going to subject a small, scared animal to the brunt of tests. So, Bryan and I were faced with the most diffucult decisions.

So, we had to say goodbye to our beloved rabbit. It was hard beyond hard. We did not want to let this ruin our vacation though, because in reality, we only had him 3 months, and we gave him a great life and did the best we could for him while he was with us.

Bryan was more emotional than I was…and I was pretty emotional. After a few time of “ok, let’s get it together,” we were doing better, and we were ready to set off on our “Week of a Million Dreams!”


Rest In Peace, Buttercup!

 

[happybratpack]

I'm very sorry about Buttercup.

Enjoying your trip report and will check back for updates!

 

[eliz72586]

..."Beeeeep" (Insert Groans), "Beepbeepbeep-bebeeep..."

Bryan: Ughghjklhds
Me: Must be 6:30, ok- get your butt up!
Bry: I am
Me: Hey, do you realize that we are going to be in Disney tonight?
Bry: Pretty awesome

So his is how our morning converstations usually start. The alarm rings, I spring up, and Bry rolls over and goes back to sleep. Seriously, where would he be w/ out me?

I stumble to our less-than-stellar shower, and manage to get water that is shy of luke warm. Hot water is apparently an oddity in Boston. I get in the shower at 6:31, do a quick scrub- the water getting colder by the second, and at 6:32, I jump out...FREEZING.

"There's no hot water...again...you may not want to get in there."
Sounding muffled.."Yeah...ok"

I manage to pull on my "travel" clothes in 20 seconds and am standing at the door waiting for my lovely counterpart, who, is still in bed. Ok, well not really, but he is no where near ready. So, I execute my authoritative tone, and then things start to move. We pull the bas into the hallway of our apartment, and wait in the unheate corridor for the cab.

The ride is pleasently speedy, with little to no traffic (which is almost unheard of in this here city). Bryan is talking on the phone, I am thinking happy disney thoughts, and soon we arrive at the airport.

...Sidenote: We had been saving our change for six months, so had 100 dollars extra for the trip (I know, according to Disney- that isn't much), but we used it for the cab ride, which cost 35 big bucks! I guess it is a good deal when we could have parked there for 20 bucks a day. Anywho....

Check-in was awesome. I love those new automated kiosks-we sped through security and had two hours to kill. When we both realized that, we looked at each other and said in unison, "Sleep!" Oh well, we were just happy we were going to the "Happiest Place On Earth!"

We decided to grab a bite to eat for breakfast before we left. Bryan got a bagel, large coffee, and juice- I opted for the oatmeal and extra large coffee. You will come to understand my coffee obsession as we go along here. After eating, I quickly moved us to the small stores down the hall. They had a duty-free, newsstand...You know, typical airport retail! Bry bought a book, I bought some last minute things I forgot- Like pens! Very exciting! Then, we went and sat near our gate.

We had one connection in Memphis. It was about 1 hour, so I couldn't complain. We grabbed a bite in a sit down restaurant (you will also come to understand that we aren't food court people!). Bryan had this awesome Pulled Pork Sandwich and I had some kind of Hamburger. After we were finished, we went over to the gate and boarded the plane after about a five minute wait- Now how is that for time!

...The next plane ride was uneventful. It was pretty fun to see the different families headed to Orlando- and Mickey's World! Little kids are so magical when they are excited!

One of the flight attendants was sitting next to us, and just couldn't close her mouth about how great disney was and her kids love disney, and she loves disney because that was her first date with her husband, and her husband does this and thinks that and lives there and blah...blah...blah- FINALLY, we landed and made a beeline for the exit!

We followed the masses down the long, under-construction halls to the silly little MCO monorail, transportation thing. I don't understand why you would deboard a plane in one building and the airport would then go through all of the effort to ship your bags to another building...Beyone me. Luckily, our bags came out right away and we were ready for the next step: Find the mears people!

Eventually we found them. We were told to sit tight and wait for 30 minutes. Not bad. Out the window, people were boarding the Magical Express. Oh, how I wanted to stay in Disney. Staying in DTD is not the same- but the way I figured it, there was next year. This year was a test run!

The mears shuttle was so crammed. Three adults to a seat is a little rediculous, especially when you paid a hefty amount to ride in it. Whatever, We were going to WDW!

The ride took about thirty minutes, and luckily, we were this first stop! We spent time talking to a kind woman and her young teen child, who were from California, but visiting Disney World. It was neat to hear different perspectives of things.

When we arrived to the Best Western LBV, we had a smooth check in and went up to our room. Apparently they had renovations done to the rooms, but to my suprise, they still resembled 1970! The heat was also an issue! The day we arrived it was very cold in Florida...and being from New England, I didn't think it was too cold, but I guess Floridians have a different idea.

Bryan and I were DYING of heat. The only way we could stay sanely cool was by stripping of our layers- yes down to the bare minimum! We decided that we "had to do something!" The thermostat was not working in our room..."Oh great, just our luck!"

Since Bryan is a good "go-getter," I made him go talk to the hotel staff. Apparently, the heat goes on automatically if the outside temperature goes below 70 degrees...WHAT!...and the whole building's thermostat control is over-rided by this central heating INCINERATOR! The people at the desk told us we were the only ones to complain! I could not believe that! So, they sent a repair man up to see if he could override the system, but after banging on random pipes in the ceiling, he could not. He simply told us to keep the porch window open a crack.

It took us a minute to change our moods about the heat, but then we recovered. Our next task: Find Dinner! Since we were exhausted, we thought maybe we would eat in the hotel's restaurant. Bryan took a shower and we got dressed and went downstairs.

Much to our dismay, the restaurant was offering only their Pizza Hut Buffet! This is where my snobbiness for food comes in.

Me: "Bry, that looks disgusting. It is all fried and greasy food- I can't eat that."
Bry: "I know. Lets go talk to the concierge."

She told us that there was DTD w/ lots of restaurants, which we both knew, but it validated our hesitation to walking down there exhausted as we already were- We could do it though! There was NO OTHER CHOICE!

Since we needed to go down there to get our part tickets at "Will-Call," we decided to grab dinner there. I made it clear that tickets were the first thing on our list, because we don't want to get there too late, and then not be able to get the tickets. So...We made our journey.

The whole walk was at MOST ten minutes. Not bad at all! When we got to the entrance of the marketplace, the Disney magic filled my soul! I saw kids running around laughing, giant Mr. Potato Head, and a huge, beautiful christmas tree. It was true, we were really here.

I will just say: Disney has amazing christmas decorations!

We found our way to the ticket booth, and after a security check (seriously!) of ID's, phone, etc... we were handed our keys to the magic. Bryan and I are both VERY forgetful at times, and we had to take a moment to vow not to loose those precious tickets. I safely tucked them away, and we went in search of dinner.

Since we walked by all the restaurants on the way to the ticket booth, we knew our choices. The challenge was...to actually choose one. The "big boat" restaurant looked the yummiest. So, we walked to Fultons. Bryan loves shellfish. I, on the other hand, am allergic to shellfish, but I love fish-so we decided to take our chances, surely, it couldn't be all shellfish!

When we opened the door to Fulton's, it was crowded. Bryan and I exhanged looks of, "uh-oh, I don't know if we need reservations?!" Much to our suprise, we were seated almost instantaneously! We requested a seat in the lounge area, near the bar. It was so comfy and romantic in that little dining room! The rest of the restaurant looked like it was brightly lit and crowded. I felt magic once again as we were seated and greeted by our very adorable little waiter man!

He told us a little bit about the restaurant, and the specials, and took our drink order. We both got a tropical drink with a bacardi 151 floater. It was good, I will say that much! We also got warm bread, which is just as important to Bry and I as the main course, and we both started with an interesting ceasar salad. For dinner, Bry got king crab legs, and I chose a blackened red snapper. It was so yummy. We both agreed that it was a great way to kick off our Disney Vacation!

We were too full for dessert, and also noted the ghirardelli soda shop on the way in. After a little shopping, I am sure we would be ready for some ooey, gooey chocolate goodness!


Up next: The rest of our "kick-off night" and more COLD florida/HOT hotel antics! Also- will include pictures in the next installment. Forgot camera on the first night!!!

 

[eliz72586]

..."Beeeeep" (Insert Groans), "Beepbeepbeep-bebeeep..."

Bryan: Ughghjklhds
Me: Must be 6:30, ok- get your butt up!
Bry: I am
Me: Hey, do you realize that we are going to be in Disney tonight?
Bry: Pretty awesome

So this is how our morning converstations usually start. The alarm rings, I spring up, and Bry rolls over and goes back to sleep. Seriously, where would he be w/ out me?

I stumble to our less-than-stellar shower, and manage to get water that is shy of luke warm. Hot water is apparently an oddity in Boston. I get in the shower at 6:31, do a quick scrub- the water getting colder by the second, and at 6:32, I jump out...FREEZING.

"There's no hot water...again...you may not want to get in there."
Sounding muffled.."Yeah...ok"

I manage to pull on my "travel" clothes in 20 seconds and am standing at the door waiting for my lovely counterpart, who, is still in bed. Ok, well not really, but he is no where near ready. So, I execute my authoritative tone, and then things start to move. We pull the bags into the hallway of our apartment, and wait in the unheated corridor for the cab.

The ride is pleasently speedy, with little to no traffic (which is almost unheard of in this here city). Bryan is talking on the phone, I am thinking happy disney thoughts, and soon we arrive at the airport.

...Sidenote: We had been saving our change for six months, so had 100 dollars extra for the trip (I know, according to Disney- that isn't much), but we used it for the cab ride, which cost 35 big bucks! I guess it is a good deal when we could have parked there for 20 bucks a day. Anywho....

Check-in was awesome. I love those new automated kiosks-we sped through security and had two hours to kill. When we both realized that, we looked at each other and said in unison, "Sleep!" Oh well, we were just happy we were going to the "Happiest Place On Earth!"

We decided to grab a bite to eat for breakfast before we left. Bryan got a bagel, large coffee, and juice- I opted for the oatmeal and extra large coffee. You will come to understand my coffee obsession as we go along here. After eating, I quickly moved us to the small stores down the hall. They had a duty-free, newsstand...You know, typical airport retail! Bry bought a book, I bought some last minute things I forgot- Like pens! Very exciting! Then, we went and sat near our gate.

We had one connection in Memphis. It was about 1 hour, so I couldn't complain. We grabbed a bite in a sit down restaurant (you will also come to understand that we aren't food court people!). Bryan had this awesome Pulled Pork Sandwich and I had some kind of Hamburger. After we were finished, we went over to the gate and boarded the plane after about a five minute wait- Now how is that for time!

...The next plane ride was uneventful. It was pretty fun to see the different families headed to Orlando- and Mickey's World! Little kids are so magical when they are excited!

One of the flight attendants was sitting next to us, and just couldn't close her mouth about how great disney was and her kids love disney, and she loves disney because that was her first date with her husband, and her husband does this and thinks that and lives there and blah...blah...blah- FINALLY, we landed and made a beeline for the exit!

We followed the masses down the long, under-construction halls to the silly little MCO monorail, transportation thing. I don't understand why you would deboard a plane in one building, and then the airport would go through all of the effort to ship your bags to another building...Beyone me. Luckily, our bags came out right away and we were ready for the next step: Find the mears people!

Eventually we found them. We were told to sit tight and wait for 30 minutes. Not bad. Out the window, people were boarding the Magical Express. Oh, how I wanted to stay in Disney. Staying in DTD is not the same- but the way I figured it, there was next year. This year was a test run!

The mears shuttle was so crammed. Three adults to a seat is a little rediculous, especially when you paid a hefty amount to ride in it. Whatever, We were going to WDW!

The ride took about thirty minutes, and luckily, we were this first stop! We spent time talking to a kind woman and her young teen child, who were from California, but visiting Disney World. It was neat to hear different perspectives of things.

When we arrived to the Best Western LBV, we had a smooth check in and went up to our room. Apparently they had renovations done to the rooms, but to my suprise, they still resembled 1970! The heat was also an issue! The day we arrived it was very cold in Florida...and being from New England, I didn't think it was too cold, but I guess Floridians have a different idea.

Bryan and I were DYING of heat. The only way we could stay sanely cool was by stripping of our layers- yes down to the bare minimum! We decided that we "had to do something!" The thermostat was not working in our room..."Oh great, just our luck!" Now, here we were- two, almost-naked adults, pacing and trying to fix the heat- too much!

Since Bryan is a good "go-getter," I made him go talk to the hotel staff (after he dressed of course!). Apparently, the heat goes on automatically if the outside temperature goes below 70 degrees...WHAT!...and the whole building's thermostat control is over-rided by this central heating INCINERATOR! The people at the desk told us we were the only ones to complain! I could not believe that! So, they sent a repair man up to see if he could override the system, but after banging on random pipes in the ceiling, he could not. He simply told us to keep the porch window open a crack.

It took us a minute to change our moods about the heat, but then we recovered. Our next task: Find Dinner! Since we were exhausted, we thought maybe we would eat in the hotel's restaurant. Bryan took a shower and we got dressed and went downstairs.

Much to our dismay, the restaurant was offering only their Pizza Hut Buffet! This is where my snobbiness and obsession with eating healthy when it comes to food comes in.

Me: "Bry, that looks disgusting. It is all fried and greasy food- I can't eat that."
Bry: "I know. Lets go talk to the concierge."

She told us that there was DTD w/ lots of restaurants, which we both knew, but it validated our prior hesitation to walking down there exhausted as we already were- We could do it though! There was NO OTHER CHOICE!

Since we needed to go down there to get our part tickets at "Will-Call," we decided to grab dinner there. I made it clear that tickets were the first thing on our list, because we don't want to get there too late, and then not be able to get the tickets. So...We made our journey.

The whole walk was at MOST ten minutes. Not bad at all! When we got to the entrance of the marketplace, the Disney magic filled my soul! I saw kids running around laughing, giant Mr. Potato Head, and a huge, beautiful christmas tree. It was true, we were really here.

I will just say: Disney has amazing christmas decorations!

We found our way to the ticket booth, and after a security check (seriously!) of ID's, phone number, etc... we were handed our keys to the magic. Bryan and I are both VERY forgetful at times, and we had to take a moment to vow not to loose those precious tickets. I safely tucked them away, and we went in search of dinner.

...All the while, I was rummaging for my cell phone. I had to call my parents to tell them how magical it was...but I realized my phone was in the hotel room.
Me: "Bry, can I use your phone?"
Bry: "I don't have it...I hope it is back at the hotel!"
Me: "Wait. HOPE?!"
Bry: "I think I left it on the coffee table at home..."
Me: "That makes life easier! What are we going to do with only one phone and two people in a crowded park?"
Bry: "Good point!"

...You will hear more about this later, and I mean mooore! Anywho...

Since we walked by all the restaurants on the way to the ticket booth, we knew our choices. The challenge was...to actually choose one. The "big boat" restaurant looked the yummiest. So, we walked to Fultons. Bryan loves shellfish. I, on the other hand, am allergic to shellfish, but I love fish-so we decided to take our chances, surely, it couldn't be all shellfish!

When we opened the door to Fulton's, it was crowded. Bryan and I exhanged looks of, "uh-oh, I don't know if we need reservations?!" Much to our suprise, we were seated almost instantaneously! We requested a seat in the lounge area, near the bar. It was so comfy and romantic in that little dining room! The rest of the restaurant looked like it was brightly lit and crowded. I felt magic once again as we were seated and greeted by our very adorable little waiter man!

He told us a little bit about the restaurant, and the specials, and took our drink order. We both got a tropical drink with a bacardi 151 floater. It was good, I will say that much! We also got warm bread, which is just as important to Bry and I as the main course, and we both started with an interesting ceasar salad. For dinner, Bry got king crab legs, and I chose a blackened red snapper. It was so yummy. We both agreed that it was a great way to kick off our Disney Vacation!

We were too full for dessert, and also noted the ghirardelli soda shop on the way in. After a little shopping, I am sure we would be ready for some ooey, gooey chocolate goodness!


Up next: The rest of our "kick-off night" and more COLD florida/HOT hotel antics! Also- will include pictures in the next installment. Forgot camera on the first night!!!